Improving the customer service of foreign customers in a Case Company
Tarkkonen, Johanna (2014)
Tarkkonen, Johanna
Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu
2014
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014090513776
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014090513776
Tiivistelmä
Today, the multiculturalism of any company’s clientele is increasing and the role of different cultures in customer service situations is growing. The topic for this thesis emerged from the author’s own experiences as a customer servant in the Case Company that was the commissioner of this thesis. The Company has plenty of foreign customers in the Oulu region and thus, improving the customer service of foreign customers is a current and an important issue.
The objective of the thesis was to examine how the customer service of foreign customers in the Case Company could be improved in practice. The study focused on the main channels of customer service in the Company: telephone services, electronic customer service and customer service at the service desk. The objective was also to introduce ideas for creating even more pleasant intercultural customer service situations for both the customer servants and the foreign customers of the Case Company in the future.
The study was conducted using three qualitative research methods: an email interview, document analyses and participant observations. The collected data was analyzed and interpreted in the context of theories about customer service, intercultural communication and intercultural competence. The results of the study suggested that the key to improving the customer service of foreign customers in the Case Company would be to offer regular training for the customer servants and to invest in developing the electronic customer service for foreign customers. Creating a comprehensive plan for consistently improving the customer service of foreign customers in the future could be more effective than single improvements.
The objective of the thesis was to examine how the customer service of foreign customers in the Case Company could be improved in practice. The study focused on the main channels of customer service in the Company: telephone services, electronic customer service and customer service at the service desk. The objective was also to introduce ideas for creating even more pleasant intercultural customer service situations for both the customer servants and the foreign customers of the Case Company in the future.
The study was conducted using three qualitative research methods: an email interview, document analyses and participant observations. The collected data was analyzed and interpreted in the context of theories about customer service, intercultural communication and intercultural competence. The results of the study suggested that the key to improving the customer service of foreign customers in the Case Company would be to offer regular training for the customer servants and to invest in developing the electronic customer service for foreign customers. Creating a comprehensive plan for consistently improving the customer service of foreign customers in the future could be more effective than single improvements.